Magnums and Don PX

Dinner at Caprice.

Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne MV10, en magnum, dégorgée le 18 Novembre 2016 - a light perfume fragrance with lemon notes on the nose. Ater some aging, this was now softer on the palate but still got the acidity.

2011 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants Pressée du Centenaire, en magnum n°562 - served 1½ hours after opening. Not too ripe on the palate, and still got a good level of acidity. On the nose one could tell there is some age on the wine, as it showed caramelized sugar along with straw.

2011 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze, en magnum - served some 2 hours after opening. Very nice and fragrant, with eucalyptus along with black cherries.

2003 Henri Bonneau Cuvée Marie Beurrier, en magnum n°222 - nose was showing nice leather and woodsy notes. Surprisingly savory on the palate, and almost a little bretty. Still kinda tannic.

1946 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento, botella N.534 - the nose was so fragrant and complex. Very sweet on the palate, with honey, prunes, and spices. Really ripe and rich. I absolutely love this wine!

Full post on dinner is here.

SQN and friends

Dinner at Caprice.

2015 Vincent Dancer Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - started drinking some 3 hours after opening. This was sooo beautiful! There was a nice balanced level of toast on the nose, which wasn't too big and heavy but just right. Nice and buttery with a dose of lemon citrus and minerals. There was acidity on the palate, but once again it was nicely balanced with ripeness. What a wine!

2001 Sine Qua Non Albino - the nose was nice and floral, with lots of honey, marmalade, and some straw. Very ripe both on the nose and on the palate, but a little hot and alcoholic on the palate. A really lovely wine.

2006 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard - decanted some 30 minutes after opening, and started drinking a little more than 1 hour after opening. Minty, a bit earthy, and actually a little savory on the nose. Definitely showing cool fruit, and surprisingly not as jammy as expected. Really opened up after 2 hours, and showing smoky notes, too. Delicious.

2005 Sine Qua Non Atlantis Fe₂O₃ Syrah 1c - decanted around 1½ hours after opening, and started drinking more than an hour after decanting. A bit smoky on the nose, and there was almost a hint of brett. Savory and a bit stinky on the nose. Pretty smooth and drinking well, but this was one of the least SQN reds I remember drinking. Totally lacking the typical punchy character and jammy fruit, and leaning more towards a French syrah.

1955 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottle 004, from imperial - this was so complex with lots of spices and herbs on the nose. Viscous texture and sweet on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Lunchtime wine pairing

Lunch at Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic.

Billecart Salmon Pic - nice and floral nose. Good acidity on the palate with a little bit of ripeness.

2022 Rudolf Fürst Riesling pur mineral - initially the nose wasn't so open, with notes of flint, minerals, and muscat grapes. Good acidity on the palate and a long finish. I could see how this paired well with the Hokkaido sea urchin.

San Francisco Javier Viña Corrales Fino Pago Balbaina, bottled in 2021 - beautiful oxidized nose with green notes, savory and fragrant, and almost a little waxy at the end. Nice and dry on the palate with umami. Just wonderful with the Comté and vin jaune sauce.

2021 Badenhorst Cinsault Ringmuur - very big and open nose, very fruit forward and juicy, with a hint of smoke. Very light and simple on the palate with a short finish.

2021 Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Rouge - a lighter style, more fruity, with nice notes of forest and dried herbs. Really fragrant with tons of eucalyptus.

Full post on lunch is here.

70 BV and William Kelley

Lunch at Caprice.

2015 Jean Vesselle Pur B3, bouteille n° 838/1700, dégorgée 15 Fevrier 2023 - a little sweet and a little yeasty on the nose.

1970 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - this bottle was more mature than the others I had tasted in previous years, and was showing a very savory profile on the nose with lots of soy sauce as well as smoke. Very nice and silky smooth after more than 50 years, and still got sweetness on the palate. Also showing some lovely spices on the nose.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 1,750.

2020 William Kelley Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Elelois - the wine was definitely too young and this showed, as the nose was definitely pretty jammy and metallic, showing black cherries and also eucalyptus. Tannins were very obvious. A second pour after an hour after opening still showed plenty of metallic notes, more black cherries, and now also some violet. This was definitely infanticide and the wine was drunk far too young.

1931 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, from imperial - the nose was very complex and showed plenty of savory notes, along with dried herbs and plenty of nuts. Very rich and viscous on the palate, and very sweet on both the palate and the nose.

Full post on lunch is here.

Big bottles for dinner

Dinner at Caprice.

1995 Krug, en magnum - nice and mature, still got a good amount of acidity on the palate. Kinda floral on the nose along with those familiar notes from the House of Krug. A lovely wine.

2008 Peter Michael 'Point Rouge' - HUGE nose, soooo sweet, soooo ripe with lots of vanilla. So big on the palate, really ripe and sweet, and soooo buttery. Such a beautiful wine for lovers of chardonnay.

2001 Sine Qua Non Rien Ne Va Plus, from magnum - so beautiful right off the bat after opening for 30 minutes. Notes of acetone, ripe and sweet on the nose, along with maybe a hint of straw? Just a little hint of toast here. After 3 hours the nose was definitely showing some coffee notes. Drinking very nicely now.

2016 Yann Durieux Tête de Ponts - very much bongwater, very animal and meaty, almost bretty. Does show nice and sweet fruit, though.

2002 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - drank about 1 hour and 45 minutes after decanting. This was soooo beautiful and lovely, showing such elegance! Lovely cool fruit, a little peppery, smoky, and minty. Drinking very, very well at the moment.

2017 Yquem, en Salmanazar - so refreshing with lots of citrus notes like Japanese mikan, so fruity yet not too sweet. Fresh on the palate with some acetone notes on the nose, too.

1955 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottled September 2015, from imperial - lovely notes of citrus, fragrant nose with plenty of exotic spices. Soooo rich and unctuous on the palate, very much like pei pa koa.

Full post on dinner is here.

Karl Haidle and Toro Albalá

Drinks and dinner at Caprice Bar.

2020 Karl Haidle Stettener Pulvermächer Riesling Großes Gewächs - very flinty with lots of toast, fragrant and nice nose with fruity notes. A little grippy on the palate with good acidity.

1929 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottled November 2014 - lots of prunes, soooo lovely on the nose, a little woodsy and almost a little savory. Unfortunately the intensity on the nose wasn't quite there, as this bottle was almost done and had probably been opened for some time. Nevertheless this was still very, very, very rich on the palate. Soooo sweet, soooo viscous, with a long finish. Would have been better if this was served colder.

Full post on the dinner is here.

Toro Albala and more

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170ème Édition, ID 221032 - nice and toasty nose with nice acidity on the palate.

2020 Garzón Albariño Petit Clos Block 27 - not so aromatic, but not bad. A little ripe on the palate now.

2012 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion - initially very dusty and chalky, a little unpleasant. Smoky. Unfortunate.

1929 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottled November 2014 - a bit smoky, a little savory, with soy sauce. Sooooo rich, sooo thick and viscous and unctuous, almost like drinking honey. What a beautiful wine!

Full post on dinner is here.